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Jack Torrance
| aliases = | film = | franchise = The Shining | image = | notability = | type = Psychopath Teacher Writer Caretaker A-hole | race = | gender = | base of operations = Overlook Hotel, Colorado | known relatives = Wendy Torrance (wife) Danny Torrance (son) | status = | born = 1937 Date is approximated based upon the age of actor Jack Nicholson. | died = December, 1978 The end of the film takes place in the month of December, shortly after Christmas. The movie was filmed from May, 1978 to April, 1979, suggesting that the events of the film itself took place in 1978. The events from the novel took place in the year 1977, which is when the book was released. | 1st appearance = The Shining (1980) | final appearance = | actor = Jack Nicholson Steven Weber }} is one of the main characters from The Shining multimedia franchise as first envisioned by author Stephen King in his 1977 novel The Shining. The character was adapted in the 1980 feature film version of The Shining by director Stanley Kubrick, where he was portrayed by actor Jack Nicholson. A version of the character that is more faithful to the source material was presented in the 1997 TV miniseries iteration of The Shining, directed by Mick Garris. This version of the character was portrayed by actor Steven Weber. Overview Jack Torrance was an alcoholic teacher and writer. He was the husband of Wendy Torrance and the father of six-year-old Danny Torrance. After losing his job, Jack was able to gain employment as the new caretaker of the Overlook Hotel near Sidewinder, Colorado. He was to manage the upkeep of the hotel during the winter months when the place was closed down and the staff was away. Before handing over the keys, hotel manager Stuart Ullman warned Jack about the dangers of isolation and cabin fever, and even told him about a previous tragedy wherein a former caretaker, Delbert Grady, murdered his wife and daughters with an axe before taking his own life. Jack reassured him that "that is not going to happen to me". Almost immediately however, Jack began to succumb to the dark, malevolent forces inside the hotel. Like his son, Jack possessed some degree of extrasensory perception and was able to see the various ghosts that still inhabited the hotel, such as the mysterious seductress in Room 237, Lloyd the bartender and even Delbert Grady himself. Grady encouraged Jack to do away with his wife and son, warning him that they were bringing in outside help, which could endanger the hotel. Jack's mind quickly deteriorated into madness and he began stalking Wendy and Danny throughout the hotel with an axe. Wendy tried to ward him off with a baseball bat, and ultimately succeeded in knocking him out. She put him in a deep freezer, but Jack escaped and chased after her. She tried to lock herself inside of a bathroom, but Jack broke through, forcing Wendy to escape out the window. Jack followed his wife and child out into the snow. Catching sight of Danny, he pursued him into a topiary maze. Danny managed to get away, but Jack got lost in the maze. Eventually exhaustion and injury caused him to collapse and he froze to death. Notes & Trivia * The character of Jack Torrance was created by writer/director Stanley Kubrick and screenwriter Diane Johnson. He is based on a character originally conceived by author Stephen King in his 1977 novel, The Shining. See also External Links * * * The Shining at Wikipedia * * * * * * * References ---- Category:Characters Category:1937/Character births Category:1978/Character deaths Category:Caretakers Category:Authors Category:Teachers Category:Psychopaths